There is, it’s fair to say, some similitude between whatever evening fantasias Giorgio Armani shows on his runway and the actresses sitting at his show watching them go by, women who in all likelihood will walk the red carpet in them days, weeks, and months later. Yet when the designer presented his made-to-order Armani Privé collection near Place Vendôme Monday evening to the likes of Sophia Loren, Jodie Foster, and Olivia Wilde, it wasn’t that constellation of stars he was thinking of, but a woman who, while absent from his front row, we felt was there in spirit—the global phenomenon that is Lady Gaga. Clearly, Armani is gaga for Gaga. How else does one explain that shiny molded techno-fabric that looked like it was specially created for Tron (it is, in fact, a silk-nylon blend)? Or the crystal-strung dresses that looked like three-dimensionally rendered animation (and had a touch of the gown he designed for the one-woman multimedia sensation of last year’s Grammy Awards)? Or, indeed, the sleek dome of an ovoid hat, or a glistening cage mask that would be great for the likes of Gaga on the red carpet because, really, who else would be wearing it, while perhaps not so effective for the A-list types Armani has dressed for years.

Maybe that’s the point. Armani has his ardent fans already. Maybe, he reckons, when the red carpet has become so predictable, and safe, and tame, it’s time to push that And the Winner Is envelope, and open it up to whip out a new name who can inspire him creatively. Will many of these looks be watched by the gazillion viewers at home who tune in to see the Academy Awards next month? Hmm, not so many probably—as they are now. But denuded of the sci-fi styling, there were other ideas here that could materialize. The idea of layering, for example, slipping a white tank dripping with fringe over a matching skirt and narrow pants. Or the bead-encrusted, broad-shouldered jackets, which walked a fine line between elegant and OTT, and were absolutely fine for doing that. Or the relatively simple idea of his couture tees, bias-cut and edged with knit ribbing. The latter alone would be comfortable, effortless, easy elegance in a low-key way—precisely what all those luminaries gravitated toward him for in the first place.